LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY

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VICTORIA B.C.

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28

bic

CASTLEGAR

Wednesday

March 4, 1992

EEO
75¢

GO0SECONDS

: Kinnaird. Elementary stu-
dents got in on the writing act
this week, putting pen to paper
to provide some interesting
and unusual stories about life
inside their school.

@ LOCAL SPORTS

With seven medals in four
different events, it was Castle-
gar’s best showing at the B.C.
Winter Games in the last five
years.

Mee, eats
page 13

Telling prospective busi-
nesses all the good things
about Castlegar and areais all
in a days work for Harry Stan
and Richard Maddocks. As ex-
ecutive directors of the Castle-
gar and District Development
Board, it’s part of their job.

page 18

Farside
Harrison
Beyer
Letters

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Our People
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OMONNON

CRITICAL CONDITION FOR CASTLEVIE

GOOD AS GOLD

> © es

ee

Ate

“Melanie Gibson, 15, proved she’s the best shooter, male or female, in

silver medals in the biathlon at the B.C. Winter Games in Vernon last weekend. See Games wrap-up, page 13

B.C. by hitting 24 of 25 targets on her way to gold and

News photo by Ed Mills

Budget battle avoided

i Castlegar city council opens its
budget up to the public scrutiny
and walks away rewarded

Jonathan Green
NEWS REPORTER

In many respects, Monday’s budget
presentation at the Castlegar and Dis-
trict Community Complex was like a
boxing match — it was over-hyped,
there wasn’t much excitement and the
gloves stayed on.

Set up for public input, the budget
presentation allowed the some 75 on-
lookers a chance to question city coun-
cil on its finances.

The meeting didn’t produce the ex-
pected exchanges between the Coalition
Unaccepting Rash Bureaucracy and
council, in fact, CURB president
Michael O’Connor walked away from
the two-and-a-half-hour forum pleased.

“Pm not disappointed,” he said. “I

Editorial, page 6

think this is a good process.”

Council used this
first-of-its-kind meet-
ing to its fullest, pro-
viding step-by-step in-
structions on the pro-
visional budget before
detailing where and
why it plans on spend-
ing $10,072,621 - in
1992.

The budget out-

Audrey Moore ined some $3.6 mil-

lion in capital projects

for 1992, including some $1.5 million for

downtown revitalization, $850,000 for

the new public works site and $500,000
for city hall renovations.

Other capital projects include equip-
ment purchases for $248,200, paving for
$238,000 and Twins Rivers Park, in-
cluding other projects for $205,000.

In 1991, the city spent $1.2 million of
its $9.4 million budget on capital pro-

jects.

Council defended its capital spend-
ing, saying it can afford the costs. In fact,
under the 1992 provisional budget,
Castlegar homeowners can expect atwo
per cent cuts to their tax bills. To the av-
eraged-priced Castlegar home, that rep-
resents a $25 break.

Council also assured onlookers that it
will be prudent when dealing with tax
revenue from the Celgar Pulp Co.

Mayor Audrey Moore said Celgar’s
healthy contribution of $1.2 million to
the municipal kitty allows the city to
funnel money toward four areas. Those
include reduced property taxes, cash for
capital projects, funds for capital re-
serves and payments of capital projects.

Celgar tax contribution is expected to
be some $2.4 million by 1993.

Under the Municipal Act, Castlegar’s
budget must be finalized by May 15.

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